December 15, 2014

Currently reading The Innovators by Walter
Isaacson / 21 days until 114th Congress / 65 days until Spring
Training

This time of year is
bittersweet. The CRomnibus bill passed last week with much fanfare, but not
much good news for any domestic programs whose funding is historically low. The government, though, will remain open. As it turns out, the
American people don’t expect much more than that. Only 13% of Americans are confident that Congress can work together in the new Congress. The
New York Times argues
that the fight this week indicates that Congress has lost the ability to
compromise. Despite this, I am trying to remain optimistic for the 114th
Congress.

With the CRomnibus
passage last week and the spending bills in recent years, it is growing clearer
that Community Action cannot count on Appropriations bills to garner resources.
The good news is that Congress continues to reject Obama’s attempt to shut down
our programs on a bi-partisan basis.

Funding for domestic
discretionary programs has been stagnant for the last several years. Unless it is an emerging crisis such as Ebola or
border security, increased funding is unlikely. We have new friends on
Weatherization and LIHEAP funding is consistent, but most of our programs are
struggling with resources. I know that Community Action needs more funding, but
until CSBG is reauthorized, it is simply not going to happen.

Next year, I am committed
to focus more than in a long time on getting our agencies the resources they
need to serve their communities. My biggest goal (more than peace on earth or
an exciting World Series) is to bring Community Action into a secure funding
environment. It may be a little early to think of Christmas next year, but I
hope by December 2015 I can give Community action that gift.

December 8, 2014

Currently reading The Innovators by Walter Isaacson (for book club!) / 28 days until 114th Congress / 72 days until Spring Training

The glow of the election among Republicans has worn off.
They’re rolling up their sleeves and getting ready to get things done. In my
conversations with Republicans, I am impressed with how prepared they are to
legislate. It is clear that they see the election as a mandate against Obama,
but they also see it as a mandate to legislate. This is a very positive
development. A Republican Congress and a Democratic White House last happened
in the 106th Congress, during which more laws were enacted than any
session since.

The Republican leadership is
confident they can manage the tea party, and pass legislation. I’ve been
around for long enough to tell when Members are sincere about getting things
done. Part of this reflects confidence in Boehner and McConnell. Both care
about the institution and want to legislate. One senior Republican’s staff that
I had coffee with this week referred to Boehner and McConnell as the “two
members most dedicated to the institution of Congress”—meaning, they are
invested in the success of Congress as an entity. Despite the Democrats’ focus
on extreme Republican ideals—seen on the tweets below—it looks like the Senate
and House could have a very productive two years.

It would be difficult to overestimate Obama’s immigration
actions. Many Republicans see Obama’s immigration reforms as a huge overstep.
One Congressman called
the action “an unprecedented executive power grab.” In an attempt to
prevent its effect on the CRomnibus, Speaker
Boehner calmed Conservative members through a tea party bill against the
action. This bill is largely symbolic, and when a Republican Member was asked
whether the party was serious about the bill, he
mused that he wasn’t sure if the co-sponsor was even taking it seriously. This
bill shouldn’t spark too strong of a reaction in the next year, but the effects
of Obama’s executive action are likely to reverberate throughout the 114th
Congress.

In the next few weeks, I’m watching who goes to which
committees especially House Education and Workforce. I’m worried that moderate
Republicans won’t want to join an extremely partisan committee. I still believe
there is bi-partisan support for low-income programs, though much is getting
lost in rhetoric. Democrats and Republicans both showed support community-backed
programs like Community Action.

Since the election, half a dozen House Republicans have
talked to me about wanting to visit their agencies, and see good community
programs in action. I want to go with them. I also want to build in time when I
go to annual conferences around the country to visit agencies, see innovative
programs and talk to staff and local elected officials.

We need to get better at talking about our agencies. We need
to get better at answering the Republican questions in 2015 on accountability,
performance and moving people out of poverty. We are hosting a webinar in a few
weeks on December
17th and December
18thwhere we will discuss working
with the 114th Congress. It will be especially helpful for agencies
with new Representatives.

We’re telling Congress we can get CSBG reauthorization done
in 2015, but I know that we aren’t ready yet. We need to develop deeper
relationships with Members, better measure our performance, more effectively
articulate our success and build a strong community coalition. I want our fight
for Community Action to be viewed historically as an effective bipartisan coalition.
Next year is going to be a huge one for us. We are going to work hard and so
is Congress. There are people around this town who don’t believe we can do
it, but I know we can. Let’s get ready.

November 26, 2014

Currently reading On His Own Terms by Richard Norton Smith / 40 days until 114th Congress / 84 days until Spring Training

Thanksgiving is a natural time to reflect on the past year
and really consider the moments for which to be thankful. But honestly, sometimes
I find it difficult to remember to say thanks. These are rough times for low-income programs.

In my travels throughout the country and especially my time
spent in Washington, it’s pretty easy to focus on things I wish were better. The
feeling that nothing is going right can be pervasive with an extremely divided,
partisan and extremely unproductive Congress. I’m saddened by the election losses
of good friends in Congress.And, every
day, I grow angrier at the constantly widening gap between haves and have-nots.
To top it off, I know the agencies I work for desperately need more resources
to meet the needs of their communities.

This week, more than any other week of the year, I set aside
the frustrations and disappointments. When I reflect on what I have to be
thankful for, one thing stands out—who I work for, every day, on Capitol Hill. I get to advocate for Community Action knowing
that there are nearly one thousand agencies out there working each and every
day to improve their communities. Some of my counterparts hang their hat each
night after working on new tax breaks for whatever special interest group is
that day’s highest bidder. I couldn’t do that. Getting active with the
Community Action network early on in my career through the mentorship of
Sargent Shriver is truly one of the greatest honors of my life, and I will
continue to be grateful for the opportunity presented to me so many years ago.

Moreover, I’m deeply thankful to you—those who work in
Community Action. All of us at some time in our life faced a decision point—do
we turn right or left—do we dedicate our lives to our communities or to another
pursuit? If you take the time to reflect on it, knowing that each member of our
staff, in all of our organizations, including ourselves, made a choice to help
people, to add value to our communities, is quite humbling. I want to make sure
you know, people notice and your work is not done in a vacuum. Members of
Congress brag about the work Community Action Agencies do in their districts.
The stories of the good our network does seem endless. Thank you for continuing
to choose to support our countries most vulnerable citizens.

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